1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet of artificial leather made of polyvinyl chloride the back of which is coated with a dry adhesive capable of being heat-activated. It also relates to the use of such a coated sheet capable of being heat-activated for thermocovering of rigid articles.
Description of the Related Art
Sheets of artificial leather made of polyvinyl chloride, which are well known per se, are supple composite sheets with two or three layers produced by coating. They comprise a wear layer, or skin, made of supple polyvinyl chloride, with a surface which is usually decorated by patterning, graining or varnishing, combined with a layer of cellular polyvinyl chloride foam. Where applicable, they comprise a third layer, opposite to the wear layer, also consisting of supple polyvinyl chloride but not decorated, and generally less thick than the wear layer. The said sheets of artificial leather made of polyvinyl chloride find numerous applications in the fields of furnishing, upholstering and padding of rigid articles and, in particular, in the field of trimming rigid articles for motor vehicles, such as dashboards, door panels and rear shelves made of ABS resin. In order to cover such rigid articles by means of artificial leather made of polyvinyl chloride, use is usually made of two-component polyurethane adhesives in an organic solution. The use of such two-component liquid adhesives presents the disadvantage of requiring the application of adhesive to the rigid article to be covered and/or to the back of the sheet of artificial leather made of polyvinyl chloride, just before they are assembled, and this severely complicates thermocovering stations, which have to comprise leakproof and fireproof spraying booths.